Thinking of a dear friend

Today is the 2nd anniversary of when my dear friend Dev suffered the worst lost a mom can have. Thinking of and praying for her much today!!

Laura

Not long ago, I asked you to pray for my friend Destini's friend Laura and her family. Laura passed away on Monday. You can read Destini's post about it here. Please keep Laura's family in your prayers. Thanks.

Prayer requests

I got a call today from my mom, and would like to pass along these prayer requests.

My aunt and uncle recently returned from a vacation to Hawaii. From what I know, my aunt Kathy was sick when they got home (or shortly thereafter). Last Friday she was taken into emergency, and ended up being put into a medically induced coma so that the doctors could put her on a ventilator. Apparently her oxygen levels were at 40% (which is NOT good). She has double-pnemonia, and possibly another infection, but my mom wasn't sure of all the details. Kathy was transferred (via helicoptor) to University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor today, because they have more high-tech ventilator equipment there than what they have here at our local hospitals. From what my mom told me, Kathy is pretty much on the verge of death right now.

Kathy is a really nice person. She is very caring, loves her family, and has a real soft spot for animals. She is a wife and mother. Kathy is not a Christian. As a matter of fact, she is Wiccan. It is my prayer that God would see fit to heal her, and that by His miraculous healing she would see that He is Lord, and that she would want to give her life to Him, or at least be more receptive to Christianity. In that light, I also pray that members of my family who aren't Christian would also see God working in this situation and pursue a relationship with Christ.

I have one other request. While Ande was growing up, his neighbors Bob and Carol were almost like second parents to him. He spent a lot of time at their house, and he's maintained a relationship with them since childhood. Bob was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago. Doctors gave him 6 months to live, but Bob soldiered on had fairly successful treatment. Around Halloween, we got a call from Carol that she thought Bob might not make it much longer. He managed to make it through all of the recent holidays, much to the surprise of his family. We got a call last night that Bob died yesterday afternoon. Bob and Carol used to attend church years ago, but for a reason unknown to me, they stopped attending. I don't know if Bob reconciled with God before he died, and I don't know where Carol stands in her relationship with God. I'm praying that the Christian people who will be interacting with Carol over the next days, weeks, months, etc. will be a blessing to Carol and draw her close to the Lord.

Thanks!

Please see my other post from this morning, which can be found below.

Logan

I'm posting this for anyone who has ever experienced a loss in their life. Well, really it's good for anyone to hear. This little boy has some serious insight. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE check this out!! You won't regret it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY

I came across this video on another blog, The Merritt Family. I love how God just keeps bringing me to these different blogs so that I can see Him working in other families that I might not know anything about! It's the same thing with Nate, Tricia, and Gwyneth... There are SO many families out there who are living through things I could never even imagine! It's really enriched my prayer life and given me a lot more focus on things to be able to read about these families.

Please read a little about Julian Avery below as well. Thanks.

For Julian

On a few of the other blogs I read, there have been some posts about a little boy named Julian Avery. He battled cancer for about a year. He passed away the other day, and his funeral was this morning. I recently went back and read more about Julian. He was a strong and feisty little boy, who almost always had a smile on his face. His parents have praised God for giving them the time they had with young Julian, which was all too short.

In reading a letter written by Julian's mom the other day about her requests for the funeral, I thought it was really neat that she asked everyone who came to wear yellow, in honor of Julian (yellow was his favorite color). In support of Julian's family today, I decided to dress myself, Puckey, and The Jib in yellow shirts. I'm sure the Avery family could use all of the prayers they can get today and in the coming days, weeks, and months. I just read a new post that brought me to tears...

So, in memory of Julian, hug your kids a little closer today, and keep his family, the Averys, in your prayers. Thanks.

Looking for a miracle

This morning, I was reading my favorite blogs, and I came across a link to another blog along with a prayer request. I clicked the link, and was brought to tears by what I read.

Confessions Of A CF Husband is the blog of a man named Nathan, who is married to a woman with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). His wife, Tricia, recently gave birth to their first child, a daughter, named Gwyneth Rose. Due to complications from her CF, it was neccessary for Tricia to give birth via C-section at only 24 weeks gestation. Clicking on this link will take you to Nathan's blog.

What amazed me the most about this blog is that here is a guy who is really dealing with a lot of stress, frustration, and probably some fear - but he doesn't dwell on it. His posts are full of praises to God, prayer requests for families other than his own, and such obvious love for his wife. There is no regret there, no "feel sorry for me" - it's all about his desire to see God glorified through all of the circumstances that Nathan and Tricia are dealing with. This man has a servant's heart!

Tricia also has a blog, with pictures, her "story", and an opportunity to learn more about Cystic Fibrosis. There has been a trust fund set up to help Tricia and Nathan with the medical expenses related to Tricia's treatment, and you can find out information on how to donate there as well. This link will take you to Tricia's site. I encourage you to visit both sites, and see how God is working in this family's lives.

I hope that any who reads this will take a few moments to pray for this family, because our God answers prayers!